William Bracken
United States Senator William H. Bracken, aka The Dragon, is the main antagonist of the Johanna Beckett arc of the Castle series. He is the one responsible for ordering the hit on Johanna Beckett. History He was the Assistant District Attorney of New York from 1988 to 1992, the time when Raglan, McCallister and Montgomery were kidnapping mobsters for ransom. He heard about the kidnappings due to his job, but he realized that he couldn't charge the mobsters, and that the officers involved would walk free. Instead, he blackmailed the three officers and used the money to finance his political career, eventually rising to Senator and even contemplating a presidential campaign. Beckett's team were able to deduce his identity using Smith's files. Instead of going public and destroying his career and reputation, Beckett renewed the deal Smith had made with Bracken: she would keep the files secret, and in exchange, Bracken would leave her in peace. She then struck him with her gun, giving him a facial scar which she wanted to remind him of her every time he looked at it. Hired Hit Men *Dick Coonan *Hal Lockwood *Cole Maddox Ordered Hits The following were killed by hitmen hired by Braken and were ordered by Braken personally to be killed *Johanna Beckett (Stabbed once in the kidney and later stabbed randomly to cover up the precision by Coonan) *Diane Cavanaugh (Stabbed once in the kidney and later stabbed randomly to cover up the precision by Coonan) *Jennifer Stewart (Stabbed once in the kidney and later stabbed randomly to cover up the precision by Coonan) *Scott Murray (Stabbed once in the kidney and later stabbed randomly to cover up the precision by Coonan) *John Raglan (Shot with a .338 sniper rifle through the heart from long range by Lockwood) *Gary McCallister (Neck is slashed by Lockwood) *Laura Cambridge (Strangled to death from behind by Maddox?) *Michael Smith (Induced a heart attack?) Collateral Damage The following were killed by hitmen hired by Braken but were not targeted to die by Bracken personally *Jack Coonan (Stabbed once in the kidney and later stabbed randomly to cover up the precision) *Jolene Granger (Tied up on the floor and strangled to death) *Chuck Ryder (Shot once in the head by Lockwood) *Roy Montgomery (Shot repeatedly by Lockwood) *Orlando Costas (Shot once in the head by Maddox) Trivia *The Dragon appears to have a military background, or at least military connections. The rifle that shot Kate Beckett was associated with special forces, and listed as lost in Afghanistan years ago. The money that was sent to pay off Chuck Ryker went through a series of untraceable banks in Dubai. Orlando Costas got the job to raid Montgomery's house through contacts in the military. *Bracken also has political connections, stemming from his position as a U.S. Senator. When Mr. Smith received the package from Montgomery, it was sent via the U.S. Congress. The plot against the Mayor seemed intended to prevent him from becoming Governor. *He also has tremendous amounts of money. Apparently starting with the money taken from the Raglan/McCallister/Montgomery kidnappings of the 90's, he has amassed a gigantic fortune, enabling him to spend millions on payoffs, constant surveillance of even minor players in the conspiracy, and hiring hit men. *His influence seems disproportionately high for a U.S. Senator. Senators are usually millionaires, not billionaires, and even the most powerful rarely have staff members numbering more than a couple dozen. His apparent ability to call on a cast of elite super-soldiers to perform even menial tasks is, at first blush, a mystery. Michael Smith does shed some light on this seeming mystery; Bracken is a part of a larger political movement that's grooming him for the Presidency. This conspiracy isn't involved in the murder of Johanna Beckett, but does seek to protect its investment in Bracken's career. So, while Bracken doesn't command nearly the influence that had been implied in previous episodes, he can call on this influence through favors and alliances with third parties, such as Orantis Solutions. Bracken, William Bracken, William Bracken, William Bracken, William